A Flag Raising Tradition to Honor America’s Fallen Heroes
By U.S. Representatives Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA) and Charlie B. Rangel (D-NY)
Memorial
Day is a unique and special holiday for many reasons. However, unlike
others, the American flag is lowered to half-staff until noon, when it is then raised to full-staff
for the remainder of the day.
Tradition
holds that the half-staff flag honors our fallen, while the full-staff
flag shows respect for those who continue in their stead – a symbol of
national perseverance
and pride in the face of great adversity.
On
Memorial Day, all Americans honor those who have made the ultimate
sacrifice for their country. We thank and pay tribute to generations of
men and women for their professionalism,
dedication, solemn bravery, and for placing their lives on the line in
protection of our freedoms.
Today,
America remains at war, as it has been for the past 10 Memorial Days.
During that time, over 2.3 million military personnel have deployed to
Iraq, Afghanistan, or both.
A growing number of returning service members and veterans suffer from
post-traumatic stress, acute brain injuries, severe anxiety, depression,
and a variety of other mental health illnesses sustained in battle.
Over the past several years, suicide rates
among those returning from combat service have increased significantly.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a study
in February of 2013 which estimates that approximately 24 veterans
commit suicide every day.
Due
to limited data and under-reporting, the actual number or rate of
veteran suicides is not known. What we do know is that suicide rates
are too high and continue to trend
in the wrong direction. We also know that suicidal behavior is often
associated with these psychological wounds and that when such behavior
is diagnosed and treated early, we reach the best outcomes.
One
major barrier for veterans seeking professional help is limited access
to care, especially in the area of mental health. For example, many of
our veterans opt against
seeking professional support in order to avoid the stigma that is
oftentimes associated with mental health illness. In addition to a
shortage of mental health care professionals, the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) is prevented from offering services
unless both the physician and patient are located in a federally-owned
facility in the same state, which often prevents veterans from accessing
the care they need, when they need it most.
For
these reasons, we have introduced the Veterans E-Health &
Telemedicine Support Act of 2013, or VETS Act (H.R. 2001). This
commonsense bill removes these outdated and burdensome
state licensure requirements and allows credentialed VA health
professionals to offer treatments, including the use of telemedicine,
across state borders.
Under
the VETS Act, veterans seeking treatment or services will no longer be
required to travel to a VA facility. Rather, veterans will have the
option of accessing services
over the phone or online – without having to leave the comfort of their
own homes, thereby alleviating any perceived stigma of coping with
mental illness. By expanding the use of telemedicine, the VETS Act will
help the VA better manage resources, reduce clinic
and hospital wait times, expand treatment options, and more efficiently
utilize the number of qualified health professionals able to service
our veteran population.
America
faces serious challenges when it comes to meeting the health care needs
of those who serve or have served, especially during a time of war. We
also face escalating
costs in health care, during a time of budgetary constraints. The VETS
Act will allow us to effectively navigate both of these challenges.
One
amazing attribute shared by the men and women who serve our nation in
uniform, is not just their willingness to serve, but their commitment to
the safety and protection
of their fellow comrades. On this Memorial Day, let us honor the
tremendous sacrifice of our nation’s fallen heroes while flags are at
half-staff, and when flags return to full-staff, let us end the
sacrifices our surviving veterans endure by renewing our
commitment to their physical health and mental wellbeing.
About the Authors:
U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson represents the 5th District of Pennsylvania, which encompasses sixteen counties and over 46,000 square miles in central and northwest
Pennsylvania. U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel, a decorated Korean War veteran represents the 13th Congressional District of New York, which includes areas of New York City comprising Upper Manhattan and the western Bronx.
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